The TORONE project – which stands for Total Characterisation for Remote Observation in Nuclear Environments – aims to provide detailed information about the nuclear environments associated with nuclear energy. Future nuclear energy developments are dependent on the ability to characterise the various highly radioactive environments that occur in the nuclear industry for both efficient decontamination and decommissioning, as well as in the design of new nuclear fission reactors as well as fusion reactors.

Lee Packer, Nuclear Technology Group Leader at CCFE, will coordinate academic access and testing of radiation detectors as part of Culham's input to the project. “One of the case studies academics wanted to pursue, in addition to trials planned for nuclear fission environments at Sellafield and Fukushima in Japan, was to test sensors in fusion environments. Fusion brings various challenging environments including the combination of high radiation fields, temperature and magnetic fields,” Lee said.

The idea behind the TORONE visit was to explain to those involved in the project how they can access Culham's facilities and expertise and capabilities. “We were in a position to offer fusion environments for these studies,” Lee added. “Furthermore, we hope to foster a broader collaboration with universities in the future.”

One of the technologies to be tested are diamond neutron detectors, seen as a potential technology that is resilient to high radiation environments which can also provide key information on the neutron fields in fusion.

“Deploying detectors which are able to survive the very high number of neutrons released in fusion per megawatt of energy is hugely important, “Lee explained. “These types of technology offer the potential to give accurate and reliable readings. The fact that nuclear fusion is a neutron-rich energy source, significantly more so than nuclear fission, means that the accurate measurement of neutrons are essential to the success of the technology itself, with impacts on control, performance and safety.”